Fenceposts and 4-irons: attending The Open at Troon in 2024

Tiger Woods on practice day 3 at the Open 2024

I talk through my first experience of The British Open at Royal Troon and what made it a week that I’ll never forget

Brilliance is a word often associated with winners at The Open. Navigating the links, especially at venues like Royal Troon and 2025’s Royal Portrush, demands imagination and mental strength like few other tests in professional golf. For me, ‘brilliance’ will be what stays at the front of my mind when I look back at this Open Championship and it started from the moment I entered the grounds.

The first thing you take in after walking through the entrance of this Open are the fences. These wooden boards ring themselves around everything; from essential technology that brings you minute-by-minute coverage, through to the vendors selling food combinations created around the globe. They also create the small borders that separate the golfing public from the idols that we crave to learn more from as they go about their art on the practice grounds or the course, militantly guarded by volunteers happy to muster themselves to the call of the R&A.

Glistening in paint that easily could have been freshly-coated that morning, the brilliance of the white stands out, unthreatened in its brightness, whether framed by the early morning sunshine of a classic July day or by the inevitable grey skies that the Scottish Isles do their best to stave off for this one week on the calendar. The clean, snow-pigmented fenceboards are emblematic of the care and attention to detail that the R&A desires in their tournament that, bar Augusta National, is unmatched in golf.

This care could simply be chalked up to classic British deportment, oft seen during a royal ceremony, but the feeling at this competition is different than that.

Yes, the history of The Open is deep. And yes, there is pageantry present throughout the week as is befitting. But brilliance can be felt wherever you go here. Brian Harman, 2023’s Champion Golfer of the Year, has said that he’d choose to come back to the British Open whether there was a prize purse on offer or not, because of the atmosphere around the tournament itself.

Walking around the course, I can see why. The majesty of the grandstands in the classic navy of the R&A, broken up by the occasional white logo or yellow scoreboards, stretch straight up to the sky, open-air churches filled with devotees to the gods of the greens. These fans consistently boast some of the best knowledge of the game, a common ground to link with each other regardless of where they’ve come from.

Golfers from all walks of life line the fairways, talking about the players, the course, and the history, and it’s a genuine pleasure to stand and exchange a few words with whoever is near. My highlight of these encounters was between a couple from the US listening intently to a Prestwick local. Clearly having insight into the golf course, he was giving them a breakdown of why ‘The Postage Stamp’ 8th hole plays so much harder than its yardage makes it seem.

The knowledge was fascinating, but the true joy of the conversation, for me, was watching the ever-increasing concentration on the faces of the American contingent as they struggled to understand the brilliantly thick Ayrshire accent in all its glory!

The west coast of Scotland is sometimes overlooked compared to its mirrors in East Lothian or Fife but, rest assured, this area of the country is just as passionate about their national pastime. With 12 courses in a 7-mile stretch, you can feel how ingrained the culture of golf is just walking about the town. Like St Andrews, you’ll find yourself turning an unassuming corner to be confronted with the hardy, wind-beaten grasses of Royal Troon, right on the doorstep of an urban landscape.

Up to this point, these thoughts had been captured during practice rounds, time spent around the course taking in the sights and sounds of this stunning stretch of Ayrshire’s edge. But you never really know a tournament until you arrive for Day One.

The atmosphere changed, in both the metaphorical and literal sense, with mild weather and spots of sunshine replaced with light, yet sideways, rain. Driven in over beachy dunes, the wind decides whether the front or back 9 will be your challenge for the round. With the wind today though, as I sit here on Thursday afternoon, having watched Rory, Bryson, and Tommy all struggle to find their best, I’m not considering the difficulty of the course.

I’m thinking about those brilliantly-white fences I was greeted by on Monday.

To aptly borrow a Scottish term, the grulie conditions have made the folk here a sturdy bunch. As I retire back to the media center having finally conceded a lost battle with the weather, and walking past Tiger’s group as the Big Cat slinks up the fairway in at least three thick layers of Sun Day Red, I find myself having to dodge more white fence posts, dotted through the middle of public pathways.

These posts, many though there are, only come in pairs at these parts of the course. Some are shorn; some wooly; some even come marked with ink. But all of them start and finish in the shoes and shorts of the Scots unfazed by whatever the North Atlantic dares throw at them with all its might.

So that’s what The Open will be to me. Regardless of the players, the course, the weather, or the scores, The Open Championship always has brilliance within it. You just have to know where to look!

About the author

Lewis Daff

Lewis Daff joined the Today’s Golfer digital team in 2024, having spent more than a decade in both big box golf retail and independent stores, working as a club fitter and builder.

Experienced with every level of golfer, from beginner to professional, he has achieved Master Fitter and Builder status with most major manufacturers, including Mizuno, Taylormade, and Callaway, helping him to cement both a wide and deep knowledge base. Lewis specializes in Clubs, Shafts, Training Aids, Launch Monitors and Grips.

In Lewis’ bag is Taylormade Qi10 Driver, Taylormade SIM Max Fairway Woods (3-15, 5-18), Wilson Staff D9 Forged 3-iron, Srixon ZX7 MKii Irons (4-PW), Titleist SM9 Wedges (52*, 60*), Toulon San Diego Putter, and Callaway Chrome Tour Ball.

Talk to Lewis about why steel shafts are now dead and graphite is the only way forward or any other equipment you’d like to debate via his email.